The Bunkhouse Hotel, located in Jackson, Montana, a short drive from the mountains nestled between the continental divide trail, ski resorts, and a number of natural hot springs, makes the perfect getaway for any traveler seeking solitude and relaxation. Visiting the hotel now it is easy to understand the vision Rick Harwood had when he decided to take on the project of turning the lodge into a hotel. However, local and national banks did not share the vision and the project nearly missed being grounded on take-off. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Harwood’s credit had taken a terrible hit a few years earlier and it seemed that there was little to no chance that funding would be available. That was until February 2015 when Rick contacted Northwest Native Development Fund (NNDF). At the time, the soon-to-be hotel had seen
better days, standing as merely a “shell” with no plumbing, heating system, or walls of any kind. Harwood saw potential, and after a few favors and putting in hours hammer to nail, the Bunkhouse Hotel opened in May of 2015.
Today, the Bunkhouse is a fully licensed hotel, eatery, tavern, laundromat, and even houses the town’s U.S. Post Office in the front lobby. Since working with NNDF on credit counseling, Rick was able to rebuild his credit nearly 100 points and reestablish his historically good credit. The Bunkhouse Hotel and Rick Harwood serve as a paradigm to the success the Native CDFI industry works towards every day. This is all made possible by the funding available to the CDFI industry such as the NACA program which will allow NNDF to revise and possibly provide new loan terms for Rick and help many other loan clients.
The Bunkhouse Hotel, located in Jackson, Montana, a short drive from the mountains nestled between the continental divide trail, ski resorts, and a number of natural hot springs, makes the perfect getaway for any traveler seeking solitude and relaxation. Visiting the hotel now it is easy to understand the vision Rick Harwood had when he decided to take on the project of turning the lodge into a hotel. However, local and national banks did not share the vision and the project nearly missed being grounded on take-off. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Harwood’s credit had taken a terrible hit a few years earlier and it seemed that there was little to no chance that funding would be available. That was until February 2015 when Rick contacted Northwest Native Development Fund (NNDF). At the time, the soon-to-be hotel had seen
better days, standing as merely a “shell” with no plumbing, heating system, or walls of any kind. Harwood saw potential, and after a few favors and putting in hours hammer to nail, the Bunkhouse Hotel opened in May of 2015.
Today, the Bunkhouse is a fully licensed hotel, eatery, tavern, laundromat, and even houses the town’s U.S. Post Office in the front lobby. Since working with NNDF on credit counseling, Rick was able to rebuild his credit nearly 100 points and reestablish his historically good credit. The Bunkhouse Hotel and Rick Harwood serve as a paradigm to the success the Native CDFI industry works towards every day. This is all made possible by the funding available to the CDFI industry such as the NACA program which will allow NNDF to revise and possibly provide new loan terms for Rick and help many other loan clients.
- Location: Jackson, Montana
- Categories: Success Stories, Tourism, and Tourism and Arts